Method of manufacturing shaft seal assemblies



A. AHMCCORMACK 2,382,245

METHOD OF MANUFACTURING. SHAFT SEAL ASSEMBLIES Filed Dec. 30, 1942 I INVENTOIK. BY 7W name A... 14,1945 y 2,332,245

METHOD OF MANUFACTURING SHAFT SEAL ASSEMBLIES Alex A. McOormack, Dayton, Ohio, assignor to General Motors Corporation, Dayton, Ohio, a corporation of Delaware Application December 30, 1942, Serial No. 470,571

3 Claims. (Cl. 29-148) This invention relates to an improved method of manufacturing a shaft seal assembly.

One object of this invention is to provide a method of manufacturing shaft seals which material which is capable of providing a gas tight seal and which will not be affected by the gas or liquid with which it comes in contact. Reference numeral I6 designates the power transmitting shaft which is ioumaled in the casmakes it possible to quickly and cheaply manu- 5 'ing iii. A steel alloy sleeve 20 is secured to the facture animproved type of shaft seal. shaft l6 by means of a suitable pin 22. The

Heretofore it has been considered impractical, sleeve 20 has its ends journaled in similar bearto use a radially extending rubber or rubbering elements 24 and 26. The bearing elements like diaphragm for shaft seal purposes because 2 and 26 are held in suitably spaced relationof the difliculty of maintaining the floating sealship by means of a spacer sleeve 26. The space ing ring carried thereby in proper relationship between the sleeves 20 and 28 is partially filled to the adjacent sealing surface and because of with a lubricant which serves to lubricate the the diificulty of designing a balanced diaphragm bearing surfaces and the shaft seals as will be in which changes in the pressure would not explained more fully hereinafter. change the contact pressure at the seal surfaces. A lubricant finger 30 is'bolted to the sleeve It is an object of this invention to so construct and the shaft i6 by means of a bolt 32. The and arrange the arts that a rubber or rubbershaft I6 is recessed as shown at 34 and 36 so like material may be used for the diaphragm. as to provide room for gaskets 86 and All which A still further object of this invention is to serve to prevent the leakage of gas or liquid beprovide an improved method of machining the 2 tween the shaft l6 and the sleeve 20. The gaskets surfaces of a shaft seal ring and its mounting 38 and 40 are preferably made of a synthetic means. rubber such as neoprene or some similar gasket Further objects and advantages of the present material which is unaffected by lubricant. It will invention will be apparent from the following debe noted that the gaskets are slightly narrower scription, reference being had to the accompanythan the recesses 34 and 36 whereby the gaskets ins drawing, wherein a preferred form of the have room to expand along 'the shaft. In order present invention is clearly shown. to provide a good seal between the shaft i6 and In the drawing: the sleeve 20, the gaskets are made slightly Figure 1 is a sectional view of a shaft seal thicker than the depth of the recesses whereby bearing arrangement embodying my invention; the gaskets are compressed. No appreciable Fig. 2 is an elevational view of the blank from clearance is provided between the shaft l8 and which the diaphragm and stationary sealing ring the sleeve 20 whereby the outer surfaces of the are made; sleeve are at all times-parallel to the outer sur- Fls. 3 is a sectional view of the blank shown face of the shaft. in Fig. 2 taken on line 3-4 of Fig. 2; Shoulders 42 and 44 are provided which serve Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3 showing the as end thrust bearing surfaces which cooperate diaphragm material molded in place; with the bearing elements 26 and 26 respectively.

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4 showing the The end surfaces 46 and I! serve as shaft sealmain sealing ring surface and the diaphragm ing surfaces which cooperate with the yieldably mounting surface after having been machined; mounted sealing rings 60. The sealing rings 66 and i are carried by the main housing ID, as will be ex- Fig. 6 is an elevational view of the entire plained more fully hereinafter, and cooperateassembly on a reduced scale. with the rest of the structure to provide a leak- Referring now to Fig. 1 of the drawing in which proof seal betweenthe housing l0 and the sleeve I have shown a preferred arrangement embody- 20. The shaft seal structure is the same at both in features of my invention, reference numeral ends so only the one shaft seal will be described. it designates an outer cylindrical casing which The same reference numerals have been used is adapted to project through a wall i2 which for designating like parts of the seals. In order may, for example, be the wall of a cabin or the to provide for the necessary amount of movewall of a crank case. A rubber-like gasket u ment f the s al rin in. the rin 50 is vul aniz d is provided as shown so as to provide gasto a flat washer element 62 by means of the tight al between the casing iii and the wall rubber-like material 64 which is preferably a l2. The gasket may, for example, be a neoprene ynth ti r r Such neoprene which is gasket or it may be made or any other suitable M unaffected by the lubricant and the fluids which come in contact with the element ll. The outer flange 58 of the element 52 rests against the end surface of one of the bearing elements such as the element 24. Each end of the casing I is closed by means of a member 58 which is constructed as shown and which is held in place by means of a flange 60 which is formed as a part of the casing l0 and is spun over after the parts are all assembled in accordance with well known practice. A gasket 62 is provided between the outer edge of element 58 and the flange 56 so as to provide a tight seal between the member 52 and the casing In. A bowed washer 64 of the type commonly referred to as a Bellville washer is provided between the end member 58 and the sealing ring element 50 and serves to bias the ring 50 into sealing engagement with the em surface of the sleeve element 20.

By virtue of this construction, the element 52 together with the neoprene insert 54 functions as a diaphragm which permits the necessary floating mounting for the sealing ring 50.

,As shown in the drawing the annular center of pressure of the diaphragm 54 is substantially in alignment with the outer edge of the pressure area of the ring 50 and the outer edge of the diaphragm is anchored to the member 52. Thus the arrangement is such that the diaphragm is in effect a balanced diaphragm in which the pressure within the sealed chamber acting to circulated by the finger 30.

In any shaft seal it is very important to provide accurately machined and accurately aligned sealing surfaces. In order to provide accurately aligned sealing surfaces, it is important to provide accurately machined surfaces for mounting the shaft seal assembly. Even the slightest misalignment of thesealing surfaces or of the means for mounting .the shaft seal assembly will cause leakage and uneven wear of the sealing surfaces.

In order to obtain accurately machined surfaces which are properly aligned, I have found the following procedure very helpful. A blank constructed as shown in Figs. 2 and 3 is first made up with a circular groove 80 in its one face which is later filled with the rubber-like gasket material 54 as shown in Fig. 4. In order to facilitate the filling of the circular groove 80 a plurality of holes 82 are drilled so as to provide openings through which the air in the bottom of the groove can escape as the groove is filled with the gasket material. After filling the groove with the gasket material which is preferably vulcanized to the side walls of the groove 80, the mounting surfaces and sealing surfaces are machined so as .to produce an element constructed as shown in Fig. 5. After the mounting surfaces and the main sealing surface have been properly machined and finished, the metallic connection between the sealing ring 50 and the mounting ring 52 is severed by making a radial cut as shown'at 84 in Fig. 1. By virtue of this procedure the critical surfaces of the rings 50 and 52 may be machined after the vulcanizing operation but prior to the time that the ring 50 is cut loose from the ring 52.

While the form of embodiment of the invention as herein disclosed, constitutes a preferred form, it is to be understood that other "forms might be adopted, all coming within the scope assembly including a pair of elements joined together by a yieldable connection and each element having a surface normally disposed in a definite relationship to a surface on the other element which comprises forming a blank having sufiicient material for both of said elements, said blank being formed with a substantially circular groove intermediate portions of said material for said elements, filling said groove with a yieldable material, machining said surfaces, and thereafter making a radial cut in saidblank so as to sever said blank intermediate the sides of said groove to form a pair of elements joined together by the yieldable material.

. 2. The steps in the process of manufacturing an assembly having two substantially rigid elements connected by a yieldable member which comprises forming a blank having sufiicient material for both of said elements, cutting a substantially circular groove in said blank, filling the groove with a yieldable material, vulcanizing said material to the walls of said groove, and thereafter making a radial cut in said blank so as to sever the blank intermediate the edges of said yieldable material to form a pair of elements joined together by a yieldable connection.

- 3. The steps in the process of manufacturing an-article having two substantially rigid members connected by a flexible member which comprises forming a recess in a blank, a portion of the wall of said recess forming a part of one of said rigid members and another portion of the wall of said recess forming a part of the other of said rigid members, filling the recess with a fiexible material which will adhere to the wall portions of said recess, and thereafter severing the blank between said wall portions to form the two rigid members connected by said fiexible material.

ALEX A. McCORMACK. 

